Renewable energy comes to Chelmsford

Saturday

Sep 1, 2012 at 12:01 AMSep 1, 2012 at 1:15 AM

The Vivint Solar van is hard to miss — it’s bright orange, covered in writing and it seems to be everywhere. Maybe it is: The company has been installing solar panels on roofs all over town, part of a program that means cheaper electricity for the homeowner and cost savings for the power companies.

Molly Loughman/Wicked Local staff writer

The Vivint Solar van is hard to miss — it’s bright orange, covered in writing and it seems to be everywhere. Maybe it is: The company has been installing solar panels on roofs all over town, part of a program that means cheaper electricity for the homeowner and cost savings for the power companies.

“As a company we have been extremely impressed with the reaction we have received from the homeowners in Chelmsford, in addition to the building department. When we submit the building applications for our homeowners some cities are more excited about ‘going green’ than others, Chelmsford has honestly been easier to work with than any other city,” said Vivint Sales Manager Adam McClellan.

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Act mnandates power companies use more renewable energy resources. To meet that requirement without the expense of building huge solar panel farms, some of the companies came up with an idea: Hire a company [Vivint] to recruit homeowners willing to volunteer their home’s roof in exchange for cut-rate, green energy.

According to McClellan, Vivint Solar has conducted nearly 20 installations in Chelmsford and approximately 100 in Lowell, with 30 more to scheduled be done by mid-September.

The pace is staggering. Nationally, it can take three to five months to complete an installation, said McClellan.

In Massachusetts, the projects are done in two or three weeks, he said. Getting buy-in from the town is a huge part of the Vivint success, McClellan said.

“This is where Chelmsford has really set itself apart from other cities and the biggest reason we are having so much success - the city has been extremely easy to work with and great about getting our permits back within 24 hours of submittal,” said McClellen.

The company right now has three, four-man installation crews working on up to six homes a day, he said.

Like anything free, there’s a catch — the home has to meet a series of requirements: a minimum of 900 to 950 annual sun hours on the roof; a roof in decent condition and able to support the solar panels; a credit score of 700 or higher, and lastly, the customer must be the homeowner.

Once a home has been deemed eligible for installation, Vivint Solar fronts the cost of installation, equipment, maintenance and insurance. In exchange, Vivint owns the system, collecting the tax credit from the state and Solar Renewable Energy Credits from the power company, a perk that makes up about half of the company’s investment, with the other half made up over time by selling the power generated by the solar array via Vivint’s Power Purchase Agreement.

“The key for the homeowner, and the incentive for them, is the power that comes from the solar panels is sold cheaper than the current power they are buying from National Grid or NStar…We are now giving them a chance to produce clean energy and buy it at a cheaper rate than they are currently paying for dirty energy,” said McClellan.

They also avoid the up-front cost of installing the system out-of-pocket.

Most National Grid customers pay between 13 to 15 cents per kilowatt per hour, when the solar energy only costs 12 cents per kilowatt per hour. Depending on how much power Vivint can produce from one roof, their average customer’s saving rate between 20 to 30 percent in their price for power said McClellen.

“The real kicker for homeowners is the solar power is protected with a fixed variable of 3.9 percent over a 20-year period,” said McClellen, who explained customers can protect as much as 80 percent of their annual energy by choosing to go green with Vivint Solar,” said McClellen.

“You pay nothing, just save money anytime the sun hits your home. We are happy, you are happy and National Grid gets the credits they need to become compliant with the state. Everyone wins.”